When two new friends find a man injured and apparently dead in the woods they begin to unravel the path to friendship and confronting the grief of losing an older brother. Walter is not the most popular guy in Harmony, in fact he doesn't really have any friends. Posey is new in town and moves in next door and is quick to provide tips on how to make friends from her avid reading. When Walter and Posey discover a mysterious man named Banjo injured in the woods all of their lives become intertwined. Banjo crashed his hot air balloon and Posey and Walter set out to help him find it. Filled with adventure and glimpses of what is to come this heartfelt middle grade novel will be a great addition to school libraries.

This is a down home story one would expect from O'Conner featuring Walter still grieving the loss of his brother, Tank who meets new neighbor, Poesy, an energetic and annoying girl brought together in a new friendship through some unique adventures. Poesy's dog, Pork chop provides comic relief along with Bangor, who fell out balloon and has nothing go right. How precious to see Walter and his mom come to grips with their loss of Tank and the positive feeling Walter and Poesy have in approaching the new school year together.

I received an electronic ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Walter is glad to see a young girl move in to the neighbor's home after the grouchy older couple passed away. Their first meeting is not exactly smooth but they develop a friendship and learn from each other as summer progresses. Finding a dead body was part of their first adventure. Fortunately, the man was alive and becomes an integral part of the rest of the adventures. Banjo had jumped out of his hot air balloon to escape falling in the river. This odd threesome bonds over searching for the missing balloon. Walter also is still grieving for his brother who was killed in the war. He's a fourth main character that weaves in and out of the story.
O'Connor captures the grief of loss, the challenge of feeling alone, the tentative outreach for friendship, and the joy of finding someone to trust and share adventures with. Middle grade readers will love the friendship hints from one of Posey's books and appreciate the facts O'Connor slips in as Posey shares information from her favorite book. She also captures the excitement of a hot air balloon ride and the massive work that goes into it.

BO’C does it again! Half way to harmony will lead all the way to your heart. BO’C’s stories are always heartwarming and wholesome. Each character is fully realized. The story well thought out, Including a balloon ride over the entire town. You will be cheering for this quirky bunch on every page!

Shy and scrawny almost 11 year-old Walter can't get over his older brother Tank's death. And what hurts most of all is how his parents seemed to have moved on, leaving Walter to grieve on his own. New neighbor, Posey comes across as a "bullybuster" and seems to be exactly what Walter needs to help him navigate the upcoming middle school year. With an adventure together lasting through the end of a lazy Georgia summer, Posey and Walter learn they can trust each other with their innermost feelings.

Author O'Connor treats us to a cast of quirky characters, from a three-legged dog with an attitude to Posey, the ultimate trivia afficiando to Banjo the smooth-talking hot air balloonist and the spirit of a son sorely missed by his younger brother. All wrapped up in a hot, sticky Georgia summer in the woods where nothing ever changes except of the flow of the Chattahoochee River -until something surprising drops out of the sky and into Posey and Walter's world.

This was a classic Barbara O’Connor book. If you liked any of her other books, then you would definitely like this one. Right off the bat, she sucks the reader in by having the main characters find a “dead man.” This will grab the interest of middle grade readers quickly. The characters are well developed and the plot moves along quickly. I enjoyed it but wouldn’t say there was a “wow” factor within the story. Overall, I think middle grade readers will enjoy it.

If you ever need cheering up, pick up a Barbara O'Connor book and read it. Yes, the characters will be going through troubled times, but they are so memorable and relatable, that you will feel better once you meet them through her stories. Halfway to Harmony is no exception to her already impressive list of delightful middle grade novels. Walter, a young boy is mourning the loss of his older brother Tank, when Posey, a feisty but lovable character and her three-legged dog move in next door. Together Walter and Posey form a friendship that leads to a "bodacious" adventure involving a man named Banjo and a hot air balloon. Full of heart, this middle grade novel will appeal to young readers looking for a story that gives them hope for characters they will want to root and cheer for.

This tale is a timeless bodacious adventure that features a friendless boy who is grieving the older popular brother he adored who recently died at war, his new spunky neighbor, the girl who loves to read (and has an almost photographic memory!) and has a 3 legged pup, and the crazy character they find injured under some bushes not far from where they live. Turns out that Banjo, as the man calls himself, claims he jumped out of his hot air balloon, while attempting a bodacious adventure. And so, as a reader you get to enjoy the wonderful characters created by author O'Connor and get to visit the world they live in that is not accidentally called Harmony. The situations that the characters find themselves in are not intense; this story hearkens back to simpler times. But there are "stumps" that have to be circumvented in order to reach their goals. To the author's credit, things don't work out as easily or perfectly as planned, yet I would say quite satisfactorily to all. This is not O'Connor's usual type of realistic fiction. It is more whimsical and from a time gone by, hard to put a finger on. However, certainly the story is not any less enjoyable. In fact, it may be the type of story that is needed in 2020.
Who wouldn't want to take a ride in a hot air balloon and see Harmony in a whole different light?

10-year-old Walter Tipple is sure his summer will be horrible. Grieving the death of his older brother, Walter’s world seems bleak. That was before he got new neighbors Evelina, Posey and a three-legged dog named Porkchop. Add a zany downed hot-air balloonist named Banjo to the mix, and suddenly Walter’s summer vacation takes a dramatic turn. Will Walter find the courage to talk about his loss, attempt a daring feat of bravery, and join in on a crazy adventure of a lifetime? Find out in this tale of friendship by award-winning author Barbara O’Connor. Halfway to Harmony would be a top-notch addition to any middle grade fiction collection.

Barbara O’Connor is an author that I return to over and over again. She has once again written a timeless story about friendship, adventure, and having the courage to face the unexpected.
Walter is dealing with loneliness and grief for a brother who left for the Army and hasn't returned. Then a new neighbor girl, Posey, moves in and his life is filled with more adventure and chances for him to face new challenges. The friendship between these two characters and how it grows was just lovely. I really liked that they helped each other face some new things and make peace with some things in their lives (I don't want to give anything away).

A good, quick middle grade read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Barbara O’Connor has once again written a timeless story about friendship, growing up, adventure, and having the courage to do unexpected things.Walter is lonely because his brother joined the Army and hasn’t come back. Then a new neighbor girl moves in and his life changes for the better. He didn’t realize he could be brave until he started having adventures with Posey. They help each other tackle some tough issues that they know they will face when school starts. As their friendship grows stronger, Walter begins to understand more about his brother and himself. Loved the nuggets of knowledge.

This is a story of kindred spirits and the meaning of friendship. It is story about how even one good friendship can set you on a path of confidence and how an adventure where you tackle some big challenges can prove to you just how strong you are. This book was fun despite having some serious/sad circumstances involved. It was meaningful. It was a pleasure to be able to hear the conversations that occurred between the characters in this book. Getting to know them was definitely something special.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a lot of Barbara O'Connor's novels, and this one is just as sweet. Walter's grief over his brother passing is real and heartfelt, and Posey and Banjo bring an adventure to his life that he didn't know he had been waiting for. All in all, it's a story that's short and sweet, and I think middle grade readers will like it. I didn't love it as much as some of her others, but I did like it.